


Better Late Than Never

by MWolfe13



Series: Tropes&Fandoms2020 [11]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: CastTheDice2020, F/M, MMFBingo2020, TropesandFandoms2020, Twenty-Four Hours Left To Live
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-30
Updated: 2020-07-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:15:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25615720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MWolfe13/pseuds/MWolfe13
Summary: What do you do when you have little time to live?
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Sam Wilson (Marvel)
Series: Tropes&Fandoms2020 [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1661083
Comments: 2
Kudos: 15
Collections: Cast the Dice 2020, Marvelously Magical Bingo 2020, Tropes & Fandoms 2020





	Better Late Than Never

**Author's Note:**

> Written for three events: TropesandFandoms2020, MMFBingo2020, and CastTheDice2020.
> 
> Cast The Dice 2020: Twenty-Four Hours to Live  
> Tropes and Fandoms 2020: Confessions  
> MMFBingo2020: Square B1: Sam Wilson/Hermione Granger
> 
> My final entry of TropesandFandoms! I didn't clear the board T_T, but maybe next year!
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Marvel or Harry Potter, simply playing in my favorite sandbox

The Avengers looked around in confusion as a purple mist spread through the air vents. They were mopping up the rest of the HYDRA agents in the compound they’d found. Unfortunately, they’d been forewarned of their impending arrival and all data that could have been retrieved had been wiped from the hard drives. They thought they’d cleared the entire building, but this new development told them otherwise.

Hermione stopped next to Steve, her wand out and casting a bubblehead charm over the entire group. “We should get out of here. We don’t know what this is.”

Steve looked to Tony and a slowly transforming Bruce. “You two have a clue on what this is?”

Tony’s Iron Man mask lifted, revealing his face. “No, but Sabrina’s right. We should get out of here before she has to drop the protection.”

Bruce panted as his skin lost its green color, his face set in a frown. “I want to test everyone as soon as we get back to the compound.” He looked at Hermione.

She smiled in amusement. “Yes, I’ll let you know the results.” It was a strict rule that she get anything done to her person at a Wizarding hospital rather than use the technology given to the Avengers. Not only was it a matter of the ICW not trusting the two geniuses on her team, but the one time Bruce tried to do an x-ray on her arm after a fight, her magic had shorted every machine in the room. 

Steve nodded in acceptance. “Right.” His fist clenched beneath the shield he carried. “Let’s do another sweep and go home.”

* * *

Hermione licked her lips, eyes flickering from the chart in the Healer’s hands to her friend’s solemn face. “Repeat that again, Padma.”

Padma Patil cleared her throat, her eyes visibly cool though her shoulders curved inward, a sure sign she was affected by what she was saying. “It’s not good, Hermione. Whatever you were sprayed with was made to affect Witches and Wizards specifically. We found that much in the blood sample we took.” She drew her wand. “May I?”

Hermione nodded, throat closing in dismay. Something made to target them? Were the other people not wholly human on her team affected as well? Bruce hadn’t gotten ahold of her, but that was normal. He was probably still in the middle of checking everyone. She knew if something was wrong, he’d have used the mirror she’d given him right away.

Padma swished her wand in a familiar manner used in diagnostic spells. An image appeared in front of Hermione, a shimmering copy of the inside of her body. She saw what Padma was staring at immediately, it was not hidden. Starting from her nose, a dark thread had made its way down until it had reached her heart. It stopped there, forming a sphere the size of her thumbnail. “There it is.”

Hermione reached up, careful not to touch the image as she traced the path from the ball, up the threat, and through her nose. “What is it?”

“An infection,” Padma spat out. “One that is eating your magic. It has latched onto your core. The more it takes, the larger it will grow.” As she said it, the ball jumped an inch in size. They wouldn’t have noticed if they hadn’t both been watching it. “You’ll start feeling weakened once it gets big enough.”

Hermione sat down on the bed as her legs failed her, eyes still on the foreign agent in her system.  _ Eating her magic… _ “Do we have a cure for this yet?”

Her longtime friend lost her Healer’s hardness when the question was asked, her eyes filling open anger and sympathy. “No, but we’ve recalled every researcher St. Mungo’s has a contract with. We’ve alerted the Ministry and they’ll be sending people from the Department of Mysteries to collaborate on this. One  _ will _ be found, a threat like this can’t go unanswered. Hermione…”

The way her eyes filled told Hermione all she needed to know. A solution to this problem would be found, but not in enough time to save her. She struggled to stay positive. Her position in the world had allowed this to come to light before something more tragic happened to her people. Yet, she wasn’t going to make it, for a Witch could not survive with her core destroyed. It was a bitter pill to swallow. 

“How long do I have.” The words were forced from her throat, rough to her own ears.

Padma laid her hand over Hermione’s. “At least twenty-four hours with the way it’s progressing.” She shrugged helplessly. “After that, we just don’t know.”

Hermione left St.Mungo’s, flooing to her apartment to gain access to her fireplace. She had it set up with an international connection, her way of coming and going as she pleased, often retreating to her apartment sanctuary when she needed it. She didn’t want that sanctuary now. She wanted her family, her friends, the Avengers. She couldn’t have the first two, they’d sense something was off once the weakness started, and she’d been told not to tell anyone.

She’d fought the decision, of course, she’d wanted nothing more than to surround herself in the family setting of the Weasley’s. But then she’d changed her mind in a moment of clarity, and acquiesced without another word. She didn’t want her last hours to be spent with the boys raging and Molly crying. She didn’t need the solemn looks or everyone trying to be normal for her sake. 

No, she couldn’t handle that, so she went to her second home.

She landed in the fireplace in her room, waving the soot off of herself wandlessly. She grimaced a second later. How many things had she taken for granted? She’d applied herself to the things she needed to know or what interested her enough at the time, always thinking later for everything else. Now her time was up and regret was washing over her for what she hadn’t accomplished. She left her room, head hung low.

And crashed into the man walking past her door.

“Whoa, pretty girl,” Sam exclaimed as he held his arms out to steady her. “The Big Guy was going to contact you in case you decided to stay at your other place for a while. Everyone came back clean, so we’re good to go. He’s going to dedicate his time to find out what this is exactly now.”

Hermione felt her shoulders sag in relief and resignation. So it was only her people in danger after all. “I see. That’s good to hear.” She eyed the metallic wings on his back. They’d been back for hours, and normally Sam diligently cleaned and inspected his equipment before putting it away. “Were you going flying?”

Sam nodded. “I’m feeling a little restless, you know? Catching air always settles me.” He hesitated for a moment. “Want to join me? You look a little out of sorts yourself.”

He wanted her to go flying with him. She chuckled at the absurdity of it all, she’d made it perfectly clear she hated being in the air. “I don’t think so. You know how I am about brooms.”

Sam shrugged, moving his arm to the small of her back and leading her the same way he’d been going. “I’ll carry you.”

“Pardon?” Hermione blinked in shock. “You want to carry me a million miles off the ground?”

“It’ll be like taking a stroll through the park, except we’ll be mingling with the clouds.” Sam smirked at her. “Don’t tell me you’re going to let your fear of heights keep you from having a good time.”

“He says that and then we fall to the ground,” she muttered. Then she remembered, she had little time left to really do anything like this. “Okay,” she decided. “Let’s go. I always have a few spells handy if things really get hectic.”

“There you go,” Sam cheered in reply. “I’ve been wanting to take you out for a long time now. It’s good to know patience does pay off.”

Hermione raised a brow in question. “You’ve wanted to take me flying?”

He shrugged. “Anywhere, really. But I have to admit, this is better than the dinner I thought I might talk you into someday.”

Hermione blushed, biting her lip as her heart raced. “You’ve never mentioned this before.”

“You can be intimidating sometimes,” Sam confessed. “I’m a confident man, Hermione. But you were all cool smiles one minute and a blushing mess the next when we first met you.” He laid a hand over his heart, sending her a wide smile. “The combination can do something to a man.”

She smiled back at him, her cheeks heating and her heart clenching. She turned away, forcing her voice to stay light, to not give away the way her mouth started to quiver. “Well, I wish you’d have said something sooner. I would have said yes.”

Sam’s hand traveled up her back to her shoulder, squeezing her closer to. “Well, I’m doing it now. Better late than never, right?”

She didn’t answer, her eyes lowered to the floor.  _ Better late than never _ . He said the phrase like nothing, but the words echoed through her brain. She supposed if she truly had so little time left, and she wasn’t going to spend it with her loved ones, a man she could have seen herself being with was just as fine. 

Hermione laid her head on his shoulder, curving into him slightly. “Right.”

**Author's Note:**

> Maybe I'll do a second chapter on this. I had ideas for it to be longer in the first place, but my Muse wasn't cooperating anymore.
> 
> Check me out on Tumblr and Twitter: MWolfe13


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